The Fire God

Chapter Six

I shut the door of the slaughter room. My hearing was good, but inside my house, the dragon oil connected me to every room, every nook, every tile. No whisper could be missed unless I shut my mind to it.

Padding feet, rustling garments. It was the female nephilim. She would speak a sentence or two in English and Aditi would speak a sentence or two in the mother tongue, but while the nephilim girl was commenting on her room and the music, Aditi was mentioning how strange her visit was.

I broke the wapiti's ribcage and pelvis so I could rip her open without damaging the internal organs. I separated the hide from her body, slipped my fingers between the skin and the fatty tissue. I removed her heart and lungs, then the stomach. I cut the intestines from the sphincter and put them in the same pile as the organs. I had cleaned intestines from time to time for sausage, but often I left the organs for the cats that roamed outside the oasis.

The girl nephilim asked about Asperia. While I was curious about her questions, Aditi's inability to answer made the conversation dull. I tried to focus on the wapiti, on fileting her meat. She would be a good dinner for Aditi and I.

"These are pretty," the little nephilim said. Little scraping noises accompanied their movements. "These frames are ornate. The etching on the frames."

"Papa," Aditi said and I assume she made some kind of sign or motion to indicate that I made the frames. I drew all of my daughters as well, though Aditi wouldn't be able to indicate that.

A moment later, more padding feet. Aditi's voice echoed in my ears. Her diction was sharp, as if this made her words more clear to the foreign nephilim.

"Daiyu." Then, "Ekta." Then, "Leela." Tapping on glass. Aditi again, "Asperia."

"Wow."

She pointed out the host of sketches I'd done of Asperia. Long, long ago when I still loved her. And more recent drawings so my daughters would know her.

The little nephilim yelped in English, "She was pretty when she was young. How old is she in these?"

No noise. More shuffling

"These are very nice. Your papa, are these his lovers?"

I snickered. Amusing idea. I hadn't taken a lover in fifteen hundred years.

"I wish you could answer me."

I shut my ears, sliced at the wapiti. I would have done better to take my dragon blade and stab into her carcass a hundred times, but the act of slowly pulling the blade through the flesh was calming me, righting my mind. The animal hadn't drained nearly enough. I would have to soak the cuts in water so it wouldn't taste gamey. Then press them with a cloth to remove the moisture.

I had no ability to track time. Max was sitting in the hall when I emerged with the tray of filets. The girl nephilim and Aditi were in her room singing along with ABBA. Scuffling and stomping. The two giggled with each other, sounded younger than they were.

I put a hand on Max's shoulder. "You and your sister will eat dinner here and sleep the night. In the morning, you'll make the journey down the mountain. Would you like to join me while I prepare dinner or would you like me to take you back to the study?"

Max's mouth worked, but he spoke no words.

"You can join me," I said, taking him up, placing his hand on my shoulder. I measured my steps so Max could keep pace. He was adept, but still a maimed creature. I wondered that his mother could damage him just so she could remain on this plane.

First, I started some rice for budaatai khuurga, added onion, garlic, carrot, potatoes, turnips, rutabaga and cabbage. Then I dealt with the filets, threw two on the grill, pressed my hands to the top of the meat, seared both sides simultaneously. After the first two were done, I slapped two more down. Salt and pepper were my preferred seasoning. And a healthy crumble of goat cheese.